I hunt Blacktails and Roosevelt elk in the NW Oregon Coast Range; I set up a trail cam and determined the earliest activity there of a dozen or so cow elk, an old 5x5 bull, a younger 5x5 bull and a spike. These 5x5s were 800 lbs. and the spike @600 lbs., average for this sub-species. It was the last day of the 6-day 1-Bull season, right at dawn and I was still-hunting to my ground stand about 100 yards from the logging road until I was 30 feet away from some small firs in front of my stand approach; suddenly I heard what sounded like a stampede, it was the Roosevelt elk herd spooked away about 30 feet from my stand, jumping over the 15' wide creek like it was nothing; the firs and brush was so thick between me and them, I could just hear and see slivers of their movement, so their keen hearing detected my slow and quiet creeping anyway. I wasn't very kind to myself; I only had to get there @30 minutes earlier to have been in the perfect spot. Next year, I guess.
Pre "cell " cams I definitely busted out my target buck one morning and ruined the spot getting in there early morning. He was on my camera 10 min before I got there and he blew and ran off 50 yards from me when I got to my tree an hour before daylight. 🤒🤕. Had him SUPER regular and he was a monster. My first time in and his LAST to daylight was the day before . Killed me
Thats insane to not hunt morning...ive killed all my bucks between 7 and 11 am...crazy...maybe its different down south but here in pa...we get our butts out early n it's definitely definitely!!!...worth it
Can y’all talk bout different types of bedding for different types of weather.. I believe I herd the other day on the podcast of y’all’s someone said “when it’s cold or freezing they’re bedding in grass, wet, rainy, storm they’ll bed in pines. Etc. so was hoping y’all could drive more into that. Love the podcast keep it up fellers. -Alabama
I was super pumped to have my season opener this past Saturday in nc. Had four decent bucks feeding about 30 yds away from my blind. The shot felt perfect and found the arrow which was a complete pass thru with bright red blood. Pulled out and came back a couple of hours later and followed a faint blood trail for 200 yds before it petered out. Grid searched for hours and found nothing. Came back on Sunday and searched for 3 more hours...nothing. needless to say, it left a sour sour taste in my mouth. The guilt has kept me from hunting since the shot.
Had this happen many times. Next time they plug up like that, think water source, or bedding in the general direction they were headed. 90% of the time I find that deer after blood stopped and rarely are they 50-75 yards past last blood.
Shot one the same way, he was in a muddy pinch point. Jumped the string, tried turning around, ducked and it hit him right where the spinal cord meets the cranium. Dropped on the spot.
